Once a BJP favourite, Computer Baba finds a job, courtesy the Congress government in MP

Namdev Das Tyagi, better known as ‘Computer Baba’ who had shot to fame after he was appointed by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to a five-member committee of godmen to suggest ways to improve the Narmada catchment in April last year has now been appointed as the chairman of the ‘Ma Narmada, Ma Kshipra and Ma Mandaknini River Trust’ by the Kamal Nath government on March 8.

The Kamal Nath government issued orders appointing Computer Baba as the chairman of the state government set up trust in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had appointed Computer Baba to the body to improve the Narmada, according him and the other four members Minister of State rank. Computer Baba then had a fallout with Chouhan and made numerous public statements against him in the run up to the Assembly elections after resigning from the body set up by Chouhan. He was then seen cozying up to the Congress.

The orders pertaining to the appointment of Computer Baba do not clarify whether he would get the status of a minister or not.

A section of babas had turned against the then BJP government accusing it of neglecting their demands. Prominent among them was a demand to legalise encroachments by temples on government land.

The Congress government in MP feels that the association with babas and having them on its side would help the party in the Lok Sabha polls. Observers pointed out that the appointment of Computer Baba was in keeping with the soft Hindutva line being pursued by the Congress in MP as well as in some other central Indian states.

Computer Baba had been demanding an appointment and a number of senior party leaders had met him in this regard at his ashram in Indore.